Work out of main office and satellite. Heavy phone sales calling on both independent dealers and end users (cold/warm calling), marketing, weekly reporting to management. Outside territorial salespeople will also be considered.

######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”
and was not written by Leasing News nor information verified, but from the source noted. When an article is signed by the writer, it is considered a “by line.” It reflects the opinion and research of the writer.

Don Myerson, President of BSB Leasing, Englewood, Colorado, Chief Credit Officer, Mintaka Financial, Advisory Board Member, Orion First Financial and Leasing News Inc., has opened Pacific Island Financial in Lihue, Kauai. He and his family live six months in Colorado and six months in Poipu. The company will provide equipment financing, unsecured working capital loans and retail merchant cash advances for Hawaii businesses.

The former president and publisher of The Garden Island newspaper, with a background as a CPA, Randy Kozerski, reportedly will lead the day-to-day operations as Pacific Island Financial President.

"“We’re excited to offer Hawaii businesses financial resources needed to grow great companies,” Kozerski told the Garden Island newspaper. “We are Hawaii-based and understand the financing needs of Hawaii’s small and medium-sized companies.”

The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) today released the Top 50 Community Bank Leaders in Social Media and the Top 25 Community Banker Influencers on Twitter. This is the second year that ICBA has compiled these two lists, which highlight the community bank social media trailblazers among the financial industry.

(These ads are “free” to those seeking employment or looking
to improve their position)

Boston, Mass.Accomplished Sales & Relationship Management Professional with business development experience in the financial services industry. Recognized by market leaders as industry expert in Professional Practice financing, as well as Residential Mortgage Lending. Keen insight and understanding of transaction process and financial requirements of customer. Proven record of exceeding sales goals.deb.harold@hotmail.com

Work Remotely
Business Development - Are you looking to enter/increase your Healthcare lending? Let me identify and qualify healthcare (all verticals) vendors, distributors, and end users who utilize leasing/financing as a tool to sell equipment for you. Many years experience - contact Mitchell Utz atmitutz@msn.comor
(215) 460-4483.

Free Posting for those seeking employment in Leasing:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm

Sondra Rowland was hired as Chief Credit Officer, EverBank Commercial Finance, Greater New York Area. She had joined Emigrant Business Credit Corp., September, 1997, and was promoted to President, January, 2009. She started as a Marking Support Specialist for The CIT Group-Commercial Equipment Finance, 1995, and was promoted to Marketing Specialist. Education: Fordham University - Graduate School of Business Administration,
MBA, Finance (1993–1995). Valparaiso University, BS, Business
(1988–1992). Northern Highlands High School (1984–1988).www.linkedin.com/pub/sondra-rowland/9/251/456

Richard Taylor was promoted to CEO at Siemens Finance & Leasing Ltd, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. He joined the firm May, 2009 as Head of Major Transactions. In January, 2011, he was promoted to Head of Sales and Marketing, including being named Senior International Business Development Manager, May 2013. Education: Lleventhorpe.cn.linkedin.com/pub/richard-taylor/16/45a/303

Work out of main office and satellite. Heavy phone sales calling on both independent dealers and end users (cold/warm calling), marketing, weekly reporting to management. Outside territorial salespeople will also be considered.

Corridor Capital LLC Chairman James E. Coston, CLP, perhaps better known to the leasing industry as Jim Coston, attorney at Coston & Coston, Chicago, Illinois, had his railroad company chosen by the Indiana Department of Transportation as its preferred vendor to manage and operate the current Amtrak Hoosier State route between Indianapolis and Chicago.

He notes his company is working with other states regarding their corridor services.

He continues active in the banking, finance, and leasing legal industry. In 2004, he became the first attorney to serve as President of the United Association of Equipment Leasing (UAEL). From 2000 to 2003, he served as a presidential appointee on the Amtrak Reform Council.

He is also one of the first attorneys to become a Certified Leasing Professional.

Aggregate auto loans at U.S. banks and thrifts edged up in the first quarter while delinquencies fell below year-ago levels. Auto loan balances at commercial and savings banks, not including holding companies, increased by $6.21 billion over year-end 2013 and $33.38 billion over the first quarter of 2013, reaching $358.27 billion at March 31. Aggregate auto loans 30-plus days past due or in nonaccrual status dropped to 1.52% at March 31, down from 1.98% at year-end 2013 and 1.55% in the year-ago quarter.

Auto loans and delinquencies at US commercial banks and savings banks. According to SNL data, the average interest rate charged on auto loans has been steadily falling over the last two years. The average rate on a five-year new car loan was 3.98% in mid-June, down 18 basis points year over year. Meanwhile, the average rate on a three-year used car loan was 4.19%, down 19 basis points over the same time frame.

Wells Fargo added $1.80 billion to its auto loan tally quarter over quarter and $5.35 billion year over year, while Ally's auto loans were up only $208.0 million quarter over quarter and down $8.49 billion year over year.

During Wells Fargo's investor day in May, Thomas Wolfe, executive vice president of consumer credit solutions, noted that auto originations jumped 16% quarter over quarter. Wolfe also remarked that 95% of the company's auto loans come from car dealers and that for every new car subvented business Wells Fargo does with the new GM dealer relationships, the bank books three used car loans at the same dealership.

Santander Holdings USA Inc. entered the ranks with the sixth-highest level of auto loans — $21.07 billion at March 31 — after the company began reporting the auto loans held at its consolidated subsidiary, Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.

Santander Holdings USA was another beneficiary of an auto company's expired contract with Ally Financial, this time Chrysler Group LLC and FIAT. In February 2013, Chrysler announced a 10-year agreement with Santander Consumer USA Inc. whereby Santander would provide auto loans to Chrysler and FIAT customers and dealers under the name Chrysler Capital.

According to a May 21 investor presentation by Santander Consumer USA Holdings, the company originated $6.95 billion in consumer loans and leases in the first quarter, of which $3.5 billion were Chrysler retail loans and more than $1.2 billion were Chrysler leases. Overall loan originations were $2.77 billion in the same quarter of 2013.

Santander Holdings USA's auto loans 30-plus days past due or in nonaccrual status were equal to 8.33% of total auto loans at March 31, the highest percentage among the top 25 depository institution auto lenders in SNL's ranking. Capital One Financial Corp. posted the second-highest delinquency rate at 5.63% at March 31, but that was down from 7.46% at year-end 2013 and 5.93% in the year-ago quarter.

Yozons First with “Digital Certificate-less” Electronic Signing
Now with New Price

David A.E. Wall, CEO at Yozons, Inc., said his company in 2000 invented "digital certificate-less" (patented) web-based electronic signing technology, originally offering the service for 75 cents a signature. (1)

There was a challenge with the USPTO regarding Yozons "core patent" for all of its products, which the company finally had re-affirmed.

CEO David Wall describes it as, "Yozons, being a small company, is only now able to begin asserting its rights against those web based e-signature vendors that make use of our invention that allows a server to perform e-signatures on behalf of its users without requiring a public key infrastructure (PKI) and users verifying each other directly.

“Well-funded competitors came to market years after Yozons practiced our invention, but also years before our patent was finally awarded in 2008 with a filing date back to January 2001. These competitors basically made our reasonable 75 cents a signature an impossible
price point to maintain, often giving away free services and other marketing gimmicks, despite the huge savings our price afforded customers compared to what then was the technical and legal requirement for a PKI that cost each person $10-25 annually for digital certificates, not to mention the hassles of installing encryption software, acquiring/renewing their digital certificate, generating and keeping encryption keys secure, and exchanging public keys among all communicating parties, all before being able to sign online.

“The Yozons invention changed all that for the better, allowing web-based e-signatures to work as well on desktop computers as on tablets and smart phones and enabling the U.S. market to grow rapidly ever since.”

The word collateral means the assets signed over to a lender to support the extension of credit. Generally, it requires a listing of all the assets being pledged, and requires the filing of a lien, in accordance with the Uniform Commercial Code and similar laws, with a full description of the assets, including serial numbers, if applicable. If the lender is first filed chronologically, it gives the lender the right to recover the assets to satisfy the balance of the credit extended. If the business fails, the order of the dates of the liens are generally the determinant as to who gets paid first, but often can be decided by the trustee, or a credit committee appointed by the trustee.

The first important difference from a lease is that the lender, by use of the lien, gets the borrower to surrender his “interest” or “equity” in the collateral, not its ownership. When the loan is paid off, the lien is released, and the asset(s) are free and clear. In a default or a bankruptcy, the court will investigate the liens to determine which lien holder is first filed, and who has the right to repossess the pledged assets to try and offset the loan balance.

A security agreement lays out the language for the lien position, and creates the remedies, for the lender. None of this language is found in a lease agreement. Even an Equipment Finance Agreement assumes the lessor is the owner because title is retained until the lease contract is paid in full, and then title is passed.

However, some lessors feel the need to have additional support to approve a lease. Usually, we use advance rents, security deposits, or even vendor recourse as an "abundance of caution." Additional collateral can also be acquired. A security agreement attached as a rider to the lease agreement is made, along with a separate UCC or DMV filing.

Get a strong note and security agreement. First make sure you will be in first lien position on the assets pledged as collateral. I recommend a lien search to make sure you have first position, otherwise another creditor may be in front of you. It is not uncommon for banks to make “blanket lien” for lines of credit. You may be required to obtain an exemption from the bank to be in first position. Most often an appropriate payment is required to obtain some form of waiver or release. Each state may have different interpretations of this, so your wording should take this into account.

One of the difficulties of using a note a security agreement is that you will need a lenders license to offer loans. I recommend all licenses from advance or deposit licenses or finance lender’s license in the state of the lessee be obtained, as well as in the state where you are located and have venue.

If you need additional support to approve the lease transaction and cannot get a security deposit, or advanced lease payments, at least make sure it is a legal true lease that meets Article 2A requirements. If a default occurs, at least you will have the benefit of the advantages of a legal lease and be treated as the owner of the equipment instead of a lien holder.

The most common mistake that I see is your attorney should be well-versed and experienced in finance and leasing; an expert, not a “generalist.” I can't emphasize this enough!

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty years and can be reached at terrywinders11@yahoo.com or 502-649-0448.

Mr. Terry Winders available as Expert Witness. 35 years as a professional instructor to the top equipment leasing and finance companies in the United States, author of several books, including DVD's, as well as weekly columnist to Leasing News. He also performs audits of leasing companies as an expert on documentation, and has acted as an expert witness on leasing for litigation in legal and tax disputes, including before the IRS. He also has taught the senior bank examiners, how to review a bank leasing department, for the Federal Reserve in Washington D.C. and has trained the examiners for the FDIC on how to prepare a lease portfolio for sale.

Mr. Winders received his Master of Business Administration and his Bachelor of Science degrees from the College of Notre Dame.

502.649.0448/terrywinders11@yahoo.com

(This ad is a “trade” for the writing of this column. Opinions
contained in the column are those of Mr. Terry Winders, CLP)

Hard money, asset based equipment leasing is a tough business, and a lessor has to hire detail oriented people to underwrite credit. Often, the job of tracking down who has title to certain equipment is as difficult as writing a title letter in a real estate closing. In today’s case, the equipment lessor must have hired top notch people because notwithstanding a withering assault by the customer’s bank, the lessor prevailed as to its financed equipment. The facts follow.

Chie Contractors was a Michigan contractor, which at one time borrowed most of its funds from Monroe Bank. In 2007, the Bank signed a subordination agreement to 19 pieces of construction equipment, in favor of Commercial Credit Group. In 2008, Commercial assigned its interest in the 19 pieces to Blackstone Equipment Financing. Blackstone, in turn, leased the equipment to Chie Contractors under a true lease. Blackstone perfected its lien by filing a UCC-1 Financing Statement.

When the Debtor defaulted, Monroe Bank claimed that its subordination agreement and the Assignment to Blackstone were without consideration and void, a ridiculous argument to make. But the trial court bought the argument.

Monroe Bank was not without its problems, either. In 2005, when it released some of its collateral, the Bank checked the box marked “Termination” but also checked the box “Assignment,” certainly equivocal. But Blackstone pounced on that mistake, claiming that the Bank actually, and in fact, terminated its entire security interest in all the collateral. This argument was a little farfetched, and the trial court ruled in favor of the Bank.

On appeal to the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Court was puzzled why an otherwise enforceable subordination agreement could not be enforced by the Court as to those 19 pieces. The Bank’s failure of consideration argument went down in flames.

I’ve simplified the facts in this case, but the bottom line is that the lessor Blackstone did a terrific job in ferreting out the correct lienholder for the construction equipment, obtaining assignments and filing a correct UCC-1 to perfect its security interest. It was rewarded with possession of the disputed equipment.

The lessons for the equipment lessor are obvious. If your company is doing yellow iron refinance leases, then your company needs a really good UCC search company and detail oriented people to interpret and track each piece of equipment from cradle to grave. Sometimes in really convoluted deals, counsel familiar with UCC title searches can assist the lessor in this process. I always advocate using a title company, UCC division, for UCC title searches, as such companies provide actual insurance for the deal in case the lessor and the title insurer make a mistake.

Tiny 96 Year Old Bank in Oklahoma Closed Down
Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 12.18%

The Freedom State Bank, Freedom, Oklahoma, was closed with Alva State Bank & Trust Company, Alva, Oklahoma, to assume all of the deposits. Founded January 1, 1919, the bank had five full time employees as of March 31, 2014 at its office in Freedom. Year-end 2006, the bank had seven full time employees.

Freedom is a town in Woods County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 289. Freedom State was the only bank in the surrounding area. Cargill operates a salt evaporation facility, appearing to be the largest employer, although oil and gas employment is also high.

(The bank still has its wooden front)

Compared to other banks in Oklahoma, The Freedom State Bank has a significantly higher percent of Farm Loans on its balance sheet, potentially indicating a specialty in that lending area.
http://www.bestcashcow.com/banks/the-freedom-state-bank-12483

While employment has been good, primarily from oil and gas drilling, as well as Cargill Salt, the most telling may be the population chart from Wikipedia showing the declining population of Woods County, where Freedom is located.

While the bank equity improved each year, the bank was profitable, and charge offs loan look in order, it appears the non-current loans were in the 90 day column; and the liquidity to pay off the debt was a major factor ("too many troubled assets," was the term used by the regulators.)

The Oklahoman reported: “Banking regulators ruled that Freedom State Bank was ‘critically undercapitalized” and had determined that its capital position was ‘rapidly deteriorating,’ according to an FDIC directive released Friday.
“ ‘Further, bank management has not demonstrated the ability to return the bank to a safe and sound condition,’ the directive said.

“FDIC had ordered Freedom State Bank’s directors in May to either make a direct cash contribution to the bank or sell stock in the bank to shore up its capital position.

It should be noted the FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $5.8 million. This is also after Alva State Bank & Trust Company will pay the FDIC a premium of 1.0 percent to assume all of the deposits of The Freedom State Bank. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Alva State Bank & Trust Company agreed to purchase approximately $17.7 million of the failed bank's assets. The FDIC will retain the remaining assets for later disposition.

As of March 31, 2014, The Freedom State Bank had approximately $22.8 million in total assets and $20.9 million in total deposits.

FDIC stated in their press release, “Compared to other alternatives, Alva State Bank & Trust Company's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF.” *

Question: I am going to be interviewing soon, and I know I will be asked behavioral type questions. Can you give me some samples

Answer: There are a number of questions the interviewer might use in order to find out if you: (1) will fit in with the staff (2) are a team player (3) is a good person and (4) are manageable.

Sample Questions may Include:
1. What do you think of your current or previous boss?
2. What kinds of things do you worry about?
3. How interested are you in sports?

The Interviewer may have you Explain an Action or Define a Word, for Example:

What do you think of your current or previous boss?
Candidates who complain about their employers are recognized as people that may cause disruption in a department. Sample response: “I liked her as a person, respected her professionally, and appreciated her guidance.” The question is often followed by one that tries to validate your answer, e.g. “Describe a situation where your work was criticized.”

What kinds of things do you worry about?
Keep your private phobias to yourself; they have nothing to do with your job. It is best to confine your answer to sensible worries of a conscientious professional. Sample response: “I worry about deadlines, staff turnover, tardiness, or that one of my team members will defect to the competition – just the normal stuff. It goes with the territory, so I don’t let it get me down.”

How interested are you in sports?
The interviewer is looking for your involvement in groups, as a signal that you know how to get along with others and pull together as a team. Sample response: “I really enjoy most team sports, and I am a member of my company’s softball team.” Apart from team sports, endurance sports are seen as a sign of determination: swimming, running and cycling are all okay. Games of skill (bridge, chess) demonstrate analytical skills.

Define Cooperation
This asks you to explain how to function as a team player in the workplace. Sample response: “Cooperation is a person’s ability to sacrifice personal wishes and beliefs whenever necessary to assure the department reaches its goals. It is also a person’s desire to be part of a team, and by hard work and goodwill make the department greater than the sum of its parts.”
Again, these types of questions that probe your attitude and behaviors are asked to find out the kind of person you are. Be prepared for them …

Michael W. Yancey, 55, of Olathe, Kansas, was a former senior vice president and commercial loan officer at TARP recipient Farmers Bank & Trust (Farmers Bank) of Great Bend, Kansas.

According to court documents, in March 2007, Yancey helped a bank customer obtain an $825,000 commercial loan for the purchase of real estate in Basehor, Kan. (the Basehor property). In March 2007, the bank customer submitted to Yancey a falsified contract of sale stating that the purchase price for the Basehor property was $1.1 million. The actual purchase price of the Basehor property was $850,000. Yancey, knowing that the purchase price was falsified, accepted the contract of sale as part of the Farmers Bank loan file. Yancey and the bank customer stated that the purchase price was $1.1 million in order to make it appear that the Basehor loan conformed to a maximum 75 percent loan-to-value ratio so that the loan could be approved by the bank’s loan committee. However, the $825,000 loan, in truth, accounted for approximately 97 percent of the purchase price. In late-March 2007, the bank loan committee approved the Basehor loan at Yancey’s request.

Additionally, according to court documents, Yancey created an “Application for Approval of Large Credit Facilities” for the Farmers Bank loan committee that falsely stated that the Basehor real estate transaction involved a seller carryback in the amount of $150,000 and a borrower equity injection in the amount of $125,000. In subsequent years, Yancey recommended renewing the Basehor loan – even after the bank had received and held federal TARP funds – and consolidated it with other loans without correcting the false statements contained in the Farmers Bank loan file.

On May 19, 2014, Yancey was charged with one count of conspiracy to make false statements on a loan application as a result of the scheme. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Yancey faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

In June 2009, Farmers Enterprises, Inc., of Great Bend, Kan., the parent company of Farmers Bank, received $12 million in federal taxpayer funds through the U.S. Department of the Treasury Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). In November 2012, Treasury sold its TARP investment in Farmers Enterprises back to the bank for approximately $11.5 million, and the bank exited TARP. The bank’s repurchase of the shares at a discount resulted in a principal loss on the TARP investment of approximately $500,000.

This case is being investigated by SIGTARP, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and Employee Benefits Security Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble of the District of Kansas.

### Press Release ############################

((Please click on ad to learn more))
(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

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Qualified leasing professionals from outside of China will not be charged any registration fees. They are, however, expected to pay for all their travel expenses including accommodations and meals at the venue.

From the Chinese side, the speakers will include prominent leasing company executives and supportive governmental representatives; from the international side, the speakers will be drawn from senior executives from leading leasing companies and others who have played a vital role in leasing's international growth.

The 2014 Middle East Leasing Summit to be held November 11-13 at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai is reported to be strongly supported by leading leasing companies and international leasing association.

This summit will gather regional government officials, vendor representatives, national organizations and industry leaders to interpret the air finance from the aspect of market situation, regulatory, growth point and second hand aircraft to better understand Middle East air finance market.

The conference promises "Deep insight into Middle East leasing market climate with introduction of Islamic Finance’s application and banks’ involvement. There is no doubt that this summit will provide a premier platform for its delegates to establish strategic cooperative partnerships, expand business. We firmly believe that your outstanding industrial background and broad knowledge would contribute significantly to the quality and scope of this
summit."

"Three prominent and qualified speakers have been added to the agenda.
They are: Stephan van Beek, Senior Director Sales & Marketing Development - EMEA, Oracle Financing, an expert on software leasing; Arnaldo Rodriguez, President – International Division, CSI Leasing, who is the epitome of having successfully globalized the product; and, Esteban Gaviria, CEO, Leasing Bancolombia, who leads the most successful bank-held operating leasing company in Latin America. I will chair the conference and also teach a two-day seminar preceding the conference."
Sudhir Amembal

With the Fourth of July just ahead, we at Leasing News are proud to recommend five especially patriotic movies (available at Netflix) that you get you laughing, cheering, and saluting.

Rocky (John G. Avildsen, 1976): You’d be hard-pressed to find a more elementally thrilling saga of hard-knocks gumption and achievement than this Oscar-winning 1976 drama, which made Sylvester Stallone a star. Stallone stars as Rocky Balboa, a young small-time Philadelphia boxer struggling to make ends meet while fighting for a stab at the big time. When not shyly courting his beloved Adrian (Talia Shire) or dealing with his grumpy old trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith), he strives for a life-changing bout with heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Directed by John Avildsen from a screenplay by Stallone, the movie has many moments that have achieved iconic status, from the pounding score to the main character’s climactic match. Though it was followed by many sequels, none matches the underdog appeal of this classic.

The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1983): Reaching for the stars has always been one of humankind’s greatest dreams, and few films capture it as exhilaratingly as this epic drama, based on Tom Wolfe’s bestseller. The sprawling narrative begins when Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) breaks the sound barrier, and then follows the exploits of the group of astronauts comprising the Mercury 7 space program in the 1950s, a group that includes John Glen (Ed Harris), Gordon Cooper (Dennis Quaid) and Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn). As these men train for their journey into orbit, a rich mosaic of courage and determination materialize before our eyes. Directed by Philip Kaufman with a mix of irony and awe, this is an eye-filling panorama that thrills as much now as when it was first released.

Avalon (Barry Levinson, 1990): Best known for the Oscar winner “Rain Man,” writer-director Barry Levinson has often explored his native Baltimore with a series of loving autobiographical dramas, like “Diner” and “Tin Men.” Arguably most heartfelt of all is this gentle portrait of a Polish-Jewish family that comes to America in the early 1900s dreaming of a land of opportunity. Unfolding mainly during the Eisenhower years, the story centers on kindly patriarch Sam Krichinsky (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and his close-knit clan, which includes son Jules (Aidan Quinn) and nephew Izzy (Kevin Pollak), as they live in the suburbs. Brimming with nostalgic detail as it alternates between comedy and drama, Levinson’s movie is a rich and humane to the American Dream.

Courage Under Fire (Edward Zwick, 1996): Director Edward Zwick reteams with his "Glory" star Denzel Washington for this gripping, multifaceted look at bravery in the battleground. Washington stars as Lt. Colonel Sterling, a man struggling with his own past mistakes as he embarks on a military investigation. Assigned to award the late Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) with a medal for courageous acts during the Gulf War, Sterling finds himself surrounded by conflicting testimonies. As a series of flashbacks tell the fateful events from a variety of viewpoints, a complex portrait of pain and determination materializes. Told with solid performances, taut intelligence, and an eye for thoughtful ambiguity, the movie manages to be both an examination as well as a celebration of American patriotism.

Captain America: The First Avenger (Joe Johnson, 2011): Blockbuster action bonanzas featuring superheroes are a dime a dozen these days, but few are created with as much sturdy craft and innocence as this 2011 entry, featuring the beloved Marvel Comics patriot. Set during WWII, the story kicks off as spirited but spindly Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers for a top-secret scientific project. That's when he's turned into Captain America, imbued with enormous strength yet with still the same positive attitude that makes him embody the best of American idealism. Can he defeat the fiendish Nazi villain Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) before the fate of the world is put in danger? Solidly helmed by Joe Johnson ("The Rocketeer"), this is the rare modern comic-book thriller to capture the innocence of its source.

Slowly as in an underwater dance
the shortstop dips to take the ball
on a low hop, swings back his arm, balancing
without thought, all muscles intending
the diagonal to the first baseman's glove.

As the ball leaves his hand, the action stops —
and, watching, we feel a curious poignancy,
a catch in the throat. It is not this play only.
Whenever the sweet drive is stopped
and held, our breath wells up like the rush

of sadness or longing we sometimes feel
without remembering the cause of it.
The absolute moment gathers the surge
and muscle of the past, complete,
yet hurling itself forward — arrested
here between its birth and perishing.

Written by Conrad Hilberry, published in
“Line Drives,” 100 Contemporary Baseball
Poems edited by Brooke Horvath and Tim Wales,

1730 - The most populous area of colonial America was New England, with 275,000 Europeans. By 1760, this number rose to 425,000, and at the close of the revolution, to 800,000.
1733 - Forty Jews, admitted to Georgia colony by its proprietors, settled in Savannah.
1776 – The Continental Congress, sitting as a committee, met on July 1,
1776, to debate a resolution submitted by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee on June 7. The resolution stated that the United Colonies “are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.” The committee voted for the motion and, on July 2 in formal session took the final vote for independence.
1778 - The first foreign diplomat accredited to the U.S., Conrad Alexandre Gerard, arrived in America. He had been appointed by King Louis XVI of France. The tide of the Revolutionary War changed when France not only lent the new colonies money, but officers, soldiers, arms, and ships. At Yorktown, the victory that won the war, Frenchman outnumbered Americans almost three to one! Washington had 11,000 men engaged in the battle, while the French had at least 29,000 soldiers and sailors. The 37 French ships-of-the-line played a crucial role in trapping the 8,700 strong British army and winning the engagement.
1792—A tremendous storm (a tornado or hurricane) hit Philadelphia and New York City. Many young people were drowned while out boating on that Sunday.
1800 - The earliest recorded Methodist camp meeting in America was held in Logan County Kentucky, near the Gaspar River Church.
1807 - Birthday of Thomas Green Clemson, the man for whom Clemson University was named, at Philadelphia, PA. The mining engineer and agriculturist married John C. Calhoun's daughter, Anna. Clemson bequeathed the old Calhoun plantation to South Carolina and Clemson Agricultural College, now Clemson University, was founded there in 1889. Clemson died at Clemson, SC, April 6, 1888. http://www.clemson.edu/welcome/history/
1835 - The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad made its trial run from Baltimore, MD, to Washington, DC, starting railroad service to the nation’s capital.
1847 - The first US postage stamps were issued by the US Postal Service, a 5 cent stamp picturing Benjamin Franklin and a 10 cent stamp honoring George Washington. Stamps had been issued by private postal services in the US prior to this date. (last part of:http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul01.html )
1852 - The first body to lie in state in the US Capitol rotunda was that of Senator Henry Clay, who died in Washington, DC, at the age of 75 on June 29, 1852. His body was placed in the rotunda, where it was displayed for the public to pay their respects, prior to interment in Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, KY.
1859 - Amherst and Williams played the first intercollegiate baseball game, with Amherst winning, 73-32. The next day Williams evened the score by defeating Amherst in a chess match. http://www.henryclay.org/hc.htm
1861 - 1st public schoolhouse opens at Washington & Mason St, SF
1862 - Congress outlaws polygamy (1st time); “an act to punish and prevent the practice of polygamy in the territories of the United Sates and other places, and disapproving and annulling certain acts of the legislative assembly of the territory of Utah.” Most of the settlers in Utah belonged to the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), which encouraged men to marry multiple wives. Little effort was made to enforce this law. The first anti-polygamy law with teeth was the act of March 22, 1883, known as the Edmunds law, which defined simultaneous marriages as bigamy and prescribed loss of citizenship as a penalty. It legitimized children born in polygamy before January 1, 1883.
1862 - Day 7 of the 7 Days-Battle of Malvern Hill http://petersburgcityguard.tripod.com/map5mhattacks.htm http://members.ismi.net/mmcwr/battle/malvern_hill.html http://www.gettysburgguide.com/fight.html http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/va021.htm
1862 - The Bureau of Internal Revenue was established by an act of Congress. The same day, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law a bill levying a 3 percent income tax on annual incomes of $600—$10,000, and 5 percent on incomes of more than $10,000. The revenues were to help pay for the Civil War. This tax law actually went into effect, unlike an earlier law passed August 5, 1861, making it the first income tax levied by the US. It was rescinded in 1872.
1862 - The Morrill Land Grant Act was passed. This federal legislation led to the creation of the Land Grant universities and Agricultural Experiment Stations in each state.
1863 - Today began the Battle of Gettysburg, the largest of the war, where General Robert E. Lee made a desperate bid to smash through Union forces and approach Washington, D.C. from the west. After the Southern success at Chancellorsville, VA, Lee led his forces on an invasion of the North, initially targeting Harrisburg, PA. As Union forces moved to counter the invasion, the battle lines were eventually formed at Gettysburg, PA, in one of the Civil War's most crucial and bloodiest battles. This was a turning point in the war. Quite by accident, and not foreseen by General Lee, General George G. Meade stumbled upon the advance accidentally at Gettysburg, Pa. Lee's assaults on federal positions, trying to move out of this encounter, brought extremely heavy losses to both sides. On the climactic third day of the battle (July 3), Lee ordered an attack on the center of the Union line, later to be known as Pickett's Charge. When the famous charge of Gen. George E. Pickett's division failed, with one unit leaving 3393 out of 4800 men dead or wounded on the field, the battle was lost by the South. The 15,000 rebels were repulsed, ending the Battle of Gettysburg. On July 4, both sides were exhausted. On July 5, Lee's army retreated, listing more than one-third of the troops as casualties in the failed invasion, never to return to northern territory. Union General George Meade initially failed to pursue the retreating rebels, allowing Lee's army to escape across the rain-swollen Potomac River. He felt ill prepared for the action, particularly after initiating the battle without preparation and in “surprise.” Historians say he missed an opportunity. They were not there, but made this observation primarily because Meade was not a very good tactician or leader of men. His men labeled him “timid” and used a stronger word we can't print here. The South suffered 30,000 killed, wounded, or missing. The North, 23,000. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul01.html http://www.fredericksburg.com/Movies/2001/072001/Gettysburg_T1 http://www.gettysburg.com/
a key to the victory at Gettysburghttp://www.civilwarhome.com/buforddefense.htm
1869 - US mint at Carson City, Nevada opens http://www.tulving.com/carsonct.html 1869 – William Strunk, Jr. , American author and educator, born in Cincinnati. A professor of English at Cornell University , he authored “The Elements of Style ” (1918). After revision and enlargement by his former student E. B. White , it became a highly influential guide to English usage during the late 20th century, commonly called Strunk & White. It remains prominent now into the 21st century.
1870 – The US Department of Justice is created. The Attorney General was initially a one-person, part-time job established by the Judiciary Act of 1789. In 1869, the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary conducted an inquiry into the creation of a "Law department" headed by the Attorney General and composed of the various department solicitors and United States attorneys . On February 19, 1868, a bill was introduced in Congress to create the Department of Justice. This first bill was unsuccessful, however, as time to ensure its passage was consumed with the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. A second bill was introduced to Congress by Rhode Island Representative Thomas Jenckes on February 25, 1870, and both the Senate and House passed the bill. President Ulysses S. Grant then signed the bill into law on June 22, 1870.
1874 - The first zoo in the US, the Philadelphia Zoological Society, opened. Three thousand visitors traveled by foot, horse and carriage, and steamboat to visit the exhibits. Price of admission was 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children. There were 1,000 animals in the zoo when it openedhttp://www.phillyzoo.org
1876 - Birthday of Susan Keating Glaspell, U.S. novelist and playwright who won the 1930 Pulitzer Prize for her play, “Allison's House”. She wrote no further plays but continued to write novels that examined women's struggles with biology, conservative mores, and other influences on her freedom and happiness. Her early stories were steeped in the Iowa of her childhood and after the success of her first novel, she resettled in New York, married a wealthy home-town boy, and lived and romped in Greenwich Village. The bulk of her noteworthy writing was done after his death in 1924. She remarried briefly.
1881 - US Assay Office in St Louis, Missouri opens for the World's Fair Exposition. http://www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/prod-facilities.html
1881 - The world's first international telephone call is made between St. Stephen, New Brunswick , Canada, and Calais, Maine , United States.
1889 - Frederick Douglass named Minister to Haiti http://www.frederickdouglass.org/douglass_bio.html
1890 - 2,000 Census Bureau clerks began the daunting task of tallying the results of the country's 11th census, aided for the first time by mechanical calculating devices. Some 45,000 census counters had spent the entire month of June counting America's 60 million-plus population, using hole punches to record the results of their surveys by punching out designated spots on the card, like a train conductor punches a ticket. Later, those cards were counted by a tabulating machine invented by 29-year-old Herman Hollerith. Hollerith's counting machine had soundly beaten other proposed counting methods in a contest sponsored by the Census Bureau. Hollerith later founded the Tabulating Machine Company, which, through a series of mergers and reorganizations, eventually became IBM.
1893 - President Grover Cleveland boarded the yacht Oneida for surgery to be performed in secret on a cancerous growth in his mouth. As this was during the 1893 depression, secrecy was thought desirable to avoid further panic by the public. The whole left side of Cleveland's jaw was removed as well as a small portion of his soft palate. A second, less extensive operation was performed July 17. He was later fitted with prosthesis of vulcanized rubber that he wore until his death on June 24, 1908. A single leak of the secret was plugged by Cleveland's Secretary of War, Daniel Lamont, the only member of the administration to know about the surgery. The illness did not become public knowledge until an article appeared Sept 22, 1917, in the Saturday Evening Post, written by William W. Keen, who assisted in the surgery.
1893 - Walter White, who headed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for over 20 years, was born, Atlanta, Georgia. Of mixed race with African and European ancestry on both sides, White had features showing his European ancestry. He emphasized in his autobiography, “A Man Called White” (p. 3): "I am a Negro. My skin is white, my eyes are blue, my hair is blond. The traits of my race are nowhere visible upon me." White oversaw the plans and organizational structure of the fight against public segregation. He worked with President Truman on desegregating the armed forces after the Second World War and gave him a draft for the Executive Order to implement this. Under White's leadership, the NAACP set up the Legal Defense Fund, which raised numerous legal challenges to segregation and disfranchisement, and achieved many successes. Among these was the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which determined that segregated education was inherently unequal. White also quintupled NAACP membership to nearly 500,000. He passed away at the age of 61, March 21, 1955, New York City.
1898 - Teddy Roosevelt & his Rough Riders charge up San Juan Hill. Included among the U.S. ground troops were the Theodore Roosevelt-led “Rough Riders,” a collection of Western cowboys and Eastern blue bloods officially known as the First U.S. Voluntary Cavalry. The U.S. Army Fifth Corps fought its way to Santiago’s outer defenses, and on July 1 U.S. General William Shafter ordered an attack on the village of El Caney and San Juan Hill. Shafter hoped to capture El Caney before besieging the fortified heights of San Juan Hill, but the 500 Spanish defenders of the village put up a fierce resistance and held off 10 times their number for most of the day. Although El Caney was not secure, some 8,000 Americans pressed forward toward San Juan Hill. Hundreds fell under Spanish gunfire before reaching the base of the heights, where the force split up into two flanks to take San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill. The Rough Riders were among the troops in the right flank attacking Kettle Hill. When the order was given by Lieutenant John Miley that “the heights must be taken at all hazards,” the Rough Riders, who had been forced to leave their horses behind because of transportation difficulties, led the charge up the hills. The Rough Riders and the black soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments were the first up Kettle Hill, and San Juan Hill was taken soon after. From the crest, the Americans found themselves overlooking Santiago, and the next day they began a siege of the city. On July 3, the Spanish fleet was destroyed off Santiago by U.S. warships under Admiral William Sampson, and on July 17 the Spanish surrendered the city–and thus Cuba–to the Americans.
(Bottom half of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul01.html )
1899 - In Wisconsin, the Gideons were founded by three traveling businessmen. They placed their first Bibles in 1908 at the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountain, Montana. http://www.gideons.org/
1899 - Birthday of Thomas A. Dorsey, the father of gospel music, at Villa Rica, GA. Originally a blues composer, Dorsey eventually combined blues and sacred music to develop gospel music. It was Dorsey's composition, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” that Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had asked to have performed just moments before his assassination. Dorsey, who composed more than 1,000 gospel songs and hundreds of blues songs in his lifetime, died Jan 23, 1993 at Chicago, ILL. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?p=amg&sql=B141510
1902 – Birthday of William Wyler, American motion picture director, at Mülhausen , Alsace, German Empire (present-day Mulhouse , Haut-Rhin, France). Notable works included “Ben-Hur ” (1959), “The Best Years of Our Lives ” (1946), and “Mrs. Miniver ” (1942), all of which won Wyler Academy Awards for Best Director, as well as Best Picture in their respective years. Other popular Wyler films include “Funny Girl ” (1968), “How to Steal a Million ” (1966), “Wuthering Heights ” (1939), “Jezebel ” (1938), and “Hell's Heroes ” (1930). Wyler died in Los Angeles on July 27, 1981.
1903 - A strong tornado just 50 to 75 yards in width killed many persons around the Gainesville, GA Cotton Mill. The tornado strengthened and widened near the end of its four mile path, killing 40 persons at New Holland, GA. A total of 104 persons were killed in the tornado.
1903 - Irna Phillips, U.S. radio script writer, who developed the genre of the radio and TV soap opera, was born in Chicago. Starting with a ten-minute drama on a Chicago radio station (it tried to block her further progress), in 1932, she sold a similar program to the networks and the Queen of the Soaps was on her way. She wrote a dozen different shows and by 1943, she had five daily shows going at one time including the enduring “Guiding Light”, hiring a staff of writers for the daily scripting. When TV destroyed the careers of so many writers, IP moved easily into the format starting with “Guiding Light”, (1952), “As the World Turns” (1956), and “Days of Our Lives” (1965), the most famous radio and TV soap operas of history. Her writing was superior and many have mourned the passing of her higher standards. Died 23 December 1973, Chicago, IL.http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/P/htmlP/phillipsirn/phillipsirn.htm http://us.imdb.com/Name?Phillips,+Irna
1908 - Birthday of Estee Lauder. She learned sales at the family hardware store, was introduced to beauty products by her uncle, a skin specialist from whom she learned to manufacture and develop skin creams. She started by giving free demonstrations and a small gift to customers. As her business burgeoned, she divorced and later remarried her former husband who agreed to run the factory which produced the Lauder beauty products while she did the promotions, marketing, and sales. She personally opened all Lauder outlets and hired the staff which was to reflect her standards of physical attractiveness as well as a balanced personality. She passed away at age 97, April 24, 2004, New York City.http://www.elcompanies.com/company/timeline/history.html 1908 – SOS is adopted as the international distress signal .
1910 - The Chicago White Sox opened their new home originally called White Sox Park and later called Comiskey Park, losing to the St. Louis Browns, 2-0. Barney Pelty pitched the shutout for the Browns.
1910 - The Ward Baking Company, Chicago, IL started the first bread factory that was completely automatic. The dough was not touched nor the bread handled except when it was placed on the wrapping machine. In 1917, Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis, IN began distribution to Mary Maid stores, a one-pound loaf. The first bagel baker was Lender's Bakery, which opened in 1927, in West Haven, CT. The owner was Harry Lender, who had just arrived from Lublin, Poland. Lender's introduced the first frozen bagels in 1963. By the way, the first frozen bread was offered to stores on November 3, 1942, by Arnold Bakers, Port Chester, NY.
1913 - Birthday of Jo Sinclair (born Ruth Seid), U.S. an American novelist who wrote under the pen name Jo Sinclair. She earned awards and critical praise for her novels about race relations and the struggles of immigrant families in America. Her first novel, “Wasteland”, won the $10,000 Harper & Brothers prize for the best study of an aspect of U.S. life. (Cleveland).
http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/sinclair-johttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ index=books&field-author=Sinclair%2C%20Jo/002-2909458-5798421 http://www.davka.org/who/avrunin/fannie/ruthseidmore.html http://www.davka.org/who/avrunin/fannie/ruthseid.html http://www.glbtq.com/literature/jewish_am_lit.html
1914 - Earle Warren Birthday. 1937-45, lead alto sax player, band manager for the Count Basie Band.http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/w1/earle_warren_b.htm
1915 - Blues legend Willie Dixon was born at Vicksburg, Ml. He moved to Chicago in 1936 and began his career as a musician with the Big Three Trio. With the advent of instrument amplification, Dixon migrated away from his acoustic upright bass into producing and songwriting with Chess Studios, where he became one of the primary architects of the classic Chicago sound in the 1950s. His songs were performed by Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Doors, Cream, the Yardbirds, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers, among others. Dixon died Jan 29, 1992, at Burbank, CA.http://afgen.com/dixon.html
1916 - Olivia De Havilland born in Tokyo to British parents. She and her younger sister, actress Joan Fontaine , moved to California in 1919. U.S. actor won Academy Awards for her work in “To Each His Own” (1946) and “The Heiress” (1949). However, she is probably best known for her role as Melanie in “Gone With the Wind” (1939). Her suit against a contract she had signed as a beginning actor broke the film studios lifetime monopoly on contract actors. It limited acting contracts to seven years, including suspensions. Her sister was Joan Fontaine (10-22-1917) who also won an Academy Award. The sisters were never friendly. De Havilland grew up in
Los Gatos and Saratoga, visiting often, as she had many friends here and
was quite the local celebrity to have to parties.
1916 - Dwight D. Eisenhower married Mary "Mamie" Geneva Doud in Denver.
1917 - Race riots in East St Louis, Illinois (40 to 200 reported killed).http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/garvey/peopleevents/e_estlouis.html http://www.eslarp.uiuc.edu/ibex/archive/nunes/esl%20history/race_riot.htm http://www.builtstlouis.net/eaststlouis/eaststl01.html http://www.cs.umb.edu/jfklibrary/coolidge_felzenberg.html http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/riot/oldriots.html http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/archives/guides/urban.html
1920 - Suzanne Lenglen of France became the first woman tennis player to win three Wimbledon championships in the same year. She won the singles titles, the doubles, and the mixed doubles. http://www.xrefer.com/entry/172914 http://perso.club-internet.fr/bmarcore/tennis/champions/lenglen/Lenglen.html
1921 - The first sales tax enacted by a state became effective in West Virginia. The rate was one-fifth of 1 percent of the gross income of banks, street railroads, telephones, telegraph, express and electric light and power retailers, and two-fifths of 1 percent on timber, oil, coal, natural gas, and other minerals. Payments could be made to the state quarterly or annually. It replaced a tax on corporate net income.
1921 - Canadian country singer Stu Davis, whose real name is David Stewart, was born in Boggy Creek, Saskatchewan. He and his brother Fred teamed up in 1939 to perform as the Harmony Boys on Regina radio station CKCK. Stu Davis later became known as "Canada's Cowboy Troubador," and made appearances in the late 1940's on NBC radio's "National Barn Dance" from Chicago and the "Grand Ole Opry." Davis signed with London Records in 1956, making 15 LP's for the label. In 1968, Davis, already a veteran of several TV shows, narrated the 13-part CBC TV documentary history of Western Canada, "Trail-Riding Troubador." Eddy Arnold took Stu Davis's song "What A Fool I Was" to number two on the Billboard country chart in 1948.http://countrymusicnews.ca/news.ihtml?step=2&article_id=315 1931 – United Airlines begins service (as Boeing Air Transport).
1934 – Birthday of actor Jamie Farr, Cpl. Klinger of M*A*S*H fame, in Toledo, OH as Jameel Joseph Farah.
1934 - An American film director , producer and actor , Sidney Pollack, was born in Lafayette, IN. Some of his best known works include “Jeremiah Johnson ” (1972), “The Way We Were ” (1973), “Three Days of the Condor ” (1975) and “Absence of Malice ” (1981). His 1985 film “Out of Africa ” won him Academy Awards for directing and producing; he was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for “They Shoot Horses, Don't They? ” and “Tootsie ”, in the latter of which he also appeared. His later films included “Havana ” (1990), “The Firm ” (1993), “Sabrina ” (1995), “The Interpreter ” (2005), and as producer for and actor in “Michael Clayton ” (2007). Pollack died in Pacific Palisades, CA in 2008 of cancer.
1935 - Benny Goodman and his band recorded the "King Porter Stomp" for Victor (Vi 25090). Often I play a series of how this song evolved, starting with Jelly Roll Morton, then Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and finally, Gil Evans: “New Bottle, Old Wine” great album (one of my favorites). http://perso.club-internet.fr/barybary/159.htm
1936 – Famous Amos, Wally Amos born in Tallahassee, FL. A real American success story. As an Air Force veteran who worked as a talent agent with the William Morris Agency , he would send home-baked chocolate chip cookies to celebrities to entice them to meet with him and maybe sign a deal to be represented by the William Morris Agency. On March 10, 1975, Amos took the advice of some friends and opened a cookie store in Los Angeles, California , naming it "Famous Amos". In the first year, he sold $300,000 worth of cookies, followed by more than $1,000,000 in sales in the store's second year of operation. The Famous Amos brand is now part of Kellogg’s.

1940 – Roosevelt signs a further Navy bill providing for the construction of 45 more ships and providing $550,000,000 to finance these and other projects.
1941 - The Federal Communications Commission allowed 18 stations to begin broadcasting “television”. Only two were ready: the New York stations owned by NBC and CBS.
1941 - Twyla Tharp born Portland, IN. She is perhaps today best known for “Movin' Out”, an award winning Broadway musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel. A brilliant and major innovator in dance, she has combined tap, ballet, jazz, and social dancing in choreographing much acclaimed ballets, musical products, Broadway, and Hollywood films to modern music themes such as the “Sinatra Suite”. She was also much admired as a dancer.http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tha0bio-1 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553073060/ qid= 1057043310/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-2909458-5798421?v=glance&s=books
1942 - Birthday of Andrae Crouch, African-American sacred music artist. His most enduring gospel songs have been 'Soon and Very Soon,' 'My Tribute' and 'Through It All.'http://www.one-way.org/jesusmusic/crouch.htm http://www.gospelcity.com/artists/a_crouch.html http://patriot.net/~crouch/tree/andrae.html http://www.jamsline.com/b_crouch.htm
1943 - "Pay-as-you-go" income tax withholding began.
1944 – Delegates from 44 countries began meeting at Bretton Woods, N.H., where they agreed to establish the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The US hosted an international conference at Bretton Woods, N.H., to deal with international monetary and financial problems. The talks resulted in the creation of the IMF, International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank in 1945. In 1997 Catherine Caufield wrote “Masters of Illusion: The World Bank and the Poverty of Nations.” The Bretton Woods institutions also include the United Nations and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (renamed the World Trade organization). The agreement was a gold exchange standard and only the US was required to convert its currency into gold at a fixed rate, and only foreign central banks were allowed the privilege of redemption.
1945 – Some 550 B-29 Superfortress bombers — the greatest number yet to be engaged — drop 4000 tons of incendiary bombs on the Kure naval base, Shimonoseki, Ube and Kumanoto, on western Kyushu. They kill more people and do more damage than the two atomic bombs.
1946 – Birthday of rock singer Deborah Harry (Blondie), in Miami , Florida . She was adopted by Catherine and Richard Smith Harry, gift shop proprietors in Hawthorne, New Jersey , where she was raised.
1949 - One of TV's first popular sitcoms, “I Remember Mama” told the story of a Norwegian family living in San Francisco in 1911. I remember watching this show with my parents. It aired live through 1956; after it was cancelled, a second, filmed version lasted only 13 weeks. Cast members included Peggy Wood, Judson Laire, Rosemary Rice, Dick Van Patten. http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/memories/ show_mem.php?ID=PT1001 http://www.classicthemes.com/50sTVThemes/themePages/ mama.html#anchor2424000
1950---Top Hits
“Bewitched” - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Mary Lou Williams)
“My Foolish Heart” - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
“I Wanna Be Loved” - The Andrews Sisters
“Why Don't You Love Me” - Hank Williams
1951 - Bob Feller set a baseball record as he pitched his third no-hitter for the Cleveland Indians
1952 - “The Liberace Show” premiered on TV. A pianist known for his outrageous style and candelabra on his piano, Liberace hosted popular shows in the ‘50s and 60's. The first premiered on KLAC-TV in Los Angeles and went national in 1953. My father came to Hollywood in 1955 to become a producer/story writer for Ziv T. Among the “products” developed were “Highway Patrol,” “Cisco Kid” and a half-hour syndicated series with Liberace featuring his brother George as violist and orchestra leader. http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Liberace
1952 - Birthday of Dan Aykroyd (Elwood Blues of the Blues Brothers), Ottawa, Ontario.http://csce.uark.edu/~ariggin/elwood.htm http://www.nederpoparchief.nl/bluesbrothers/elwood.html http://www.nederpoparchief.nl/bluesbrothers/main.html http://www.burnet.edu.au/htblues/transcript
http://members.aol.com/carguy218/elwood.html
1956 - The Highway Revenue Act of 1956 was put into effect by Congress, outlining a policy of taxation with the aim of creating a fund for the construction of over 42,500 miles of interstate highways over a period of 13 years. The law was enacted on June 29, 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law. The push for a national highway system began many years earlier, when the privately funded construction of the Lincoln Highway began in 1919. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) did much to set into motion plans for a federally funded highway system, but his efforts were halted by the outbreak of World War II. At a time when the total federal budget approached $71 billion, Eisenhower's plan called for $50 billion over 13 years for highways. To pay for the project a system of taxes, relying heavily on the taxation of gasoline, was implemented. Legislation has extended the Interstate Highway Revenue Act three times. Today consumers pay 18.3¢ per gallon on gasoline. [Footnote: According to the book, “Ike”, when he was put in charge of logistics for the US Army during and shortly after World War I, he became frustrated at the poor and often unpaved conditions of roads across the country, exacerbating the movement of materiel for any great distances. It was from this experience that Eisenhower began to formulate what became the interstate highway system, planned with straight highways for airplanes to land
in emergencies, now named in his honor.]
1956 - French Grand Prix was held at Reims , France, won by Peter Collins of Great Britain in a Ferrari.
1956 - NBC's Steve Allen Show capitalizes on the outrage engendered by Elvis Presley's recent version of "Hound Dog" on The Milton Berle Show by winkingly presenting a new, "clean" Elvis, dressed in a tuxedo and singing "Hound Dog" to an actual basset hound perched on a stool. Backstage, a humiliated Elvis explodes in fury at the Colonel for agreeing to the stunt. The next day, however, fans protest the show, demanding "The REAL Elvis."
1958---Top Hits
“Hard Headed Woman” - Elvis Presley
“Yakety Yak” - The Coasters
“Patricia” - Perez Prado
“Guess Things Happen that Way” - Johnny Cash
1959 - Dave Brubeck Quartet records “ Take Five,” which not only becomes a class score in 5/4 time, an alto sax Paul Desmond classic, but eventually hits number one on the Billboard, rare for a jazz performance. The album also became a million seller. http://www.duke.edu/~smt3/brubeck.htm
1961 - Birthday of Frederick Carlton “Carl” Lewis US, Olympic track & field star (Gold-1984, 1988), at Birmingham, AL. http://top-biography.com/9160-Carl%20Lewis/
1962 - Gene Vincent plays the Cavern Club in Liverpool, opening for a house band called The Beatles
1963 - The US Postal Service introduced the five-digit zip code.
1963 – The Beatles recorded “She Loves You” and “I'll Get You” at EMI's Abbey Road Studios. “She Loves You” would become their second number-one hit in both Britain and the US. Can you name their first hit? (Don’t cheat by using Google.)
1965 - Undersecretary of State George Ball submits a memo to President Lyndon B. Johnson titled "A Compromise Solution for South Vietnam." It began bluntly: "The South Vietnamese are losing the war to the Viet Cong. No one can assure you that we can beat the Viet Cong, or even force them to the conference table on our terms, no matter how many hundred thousand white, foreign (U.S.) troops we deploy." Eventually there would be more than 540,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam.
1966---Top Hits
“Paperback Writer” - The Beatles
“Strangers in the Night” - Frank Sinatra
“Red Rubber Ball” - The Cyrkle
“Take Good Care of Her” - Sonny James
1966 - The Beatles began a series of concerts at the Budo Kan Hall in Tokyo. A famous bootleg album, "Three Nights in Tokyo," was made of the Beatles' appearance.
1966 - The Grateful Dead released their first single, "Don't Ease Me In" backed with "Stealin'."http://dannyman.toldme.com/lyrics/Grateful_Dead/Stealin'.html
1967 – The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band goes #1 for 15 weeks
1967 - Scott McKenzie scored his first hit with the single, "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)". The song became an anthem for the Love Generation and the young people of flower power. McKenzie also co-wrote a hit for the Beach Boys in 1988, called "Kokomo." His songs, "San Francisco" and "Like an Old Time Movie", were written and produced by John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas, who named his daughter, Mackenzie for his friend.
1967 - The Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" entered the Billboard chart, where it eventually reached #8.
1967 – Pamela Anderson, “Baywatch” born
1968 – Formal separation of the United Auto Workers from the AFL–CIO .
1968 - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court voided the Muncy Law that required women to serve longer prison terms - often 2.5 times longer - than men who are convicted of the same crime. The successful appeal was handled by attorneys of the National Organization for Women. More recently, a number of states including New York and California have made studies ordered by their supreme courts and found that women are still sentenced to longer terms for the *same* crimes as men. The practice is said to be pervasive. (Paula C. Johnson provided this citation: Carolyn Engel Temin, Discriminatory Sentencing of Women Offenders: The Argument for ERA in a Nutshell, 11 Amer. Crim. L. Rev. 355 (1973).)
1969 - Legendary producer Sam Phillips sells his Sun Records Studio in Memphis.
1970 - Casey Kasem begins his weekly Billboard countdown on the nationally syndicated radio show American Top 40.
1971 - Jethro Tull's first US Top Ten album, "Aqualung" is awarded a Gold record.
1971 - The Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, granting the right to vote in all federal, state and local elections to all persons 18 years or older. On the date of ratification, the US gained an additional 11 million votes. Up until this time, the minimum voting age was set by the states, in most states it was 21. A primary mover of this initiative was the fact that the Vietnam War raged on and 18 year-olds were dying for a country for which they could not participate in the democratic process.
1972 - Neil Diamond went to the top spot on the Billboard singles chart with "Song Sung Blue", his second US #1. The tune made it to number 14 in the UK.
1972 - The first Navy admiral who was African-American was Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr. of Richmond, VA.
1973 - Golfer Bruce Crampton tied for fourth place in the Western Open golf tournament, bringing his career earnings to over a million dollars. Crampton became the first non-American golfer to reach that mark. He became the fifth golfer to make over a million dollars in career earnings. The others were Arnie Palmer, Billy Casper, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino.
1972 - The rock musical "Hair" closed on Broadway after 1,729 performances. It had opened at the Biltmore Theatre on April 28th, 1968. The music for "Hair" was written by Montreal native Galt McDermott.http://www.geocities.com/hairpages/ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002W1S/ inktomi-musicasin-20/002-2909458-5798421
1973 - "Jesus Christ Superstar" closed in New York City after 720 performances on Broadway. The cast album quickly became a million-seller.
1974---Top Hits
“Sundown” - Gordon Lightfoot
“Be Thankful for What You Got” - William DeVaughn
“If You Love Me (Let Me Know)” - Olivia Newton-John
“Room Full of Roses” - Mickey Gilley
1975 - Captain & Tennille get their first gold record with "Love Will Keep Us Together". The album will eventually sell 2 1/2 million copies and win a Grammy for Record of the Year
1976 - Kenneth Gibson, Mayor of Newark, NJ, is 1st black president of US Conference of Mayors.
1979 - Sony introduced the Walkman under the name Soundabout, selling for $200. It had been released in Japan six months earlier. More than 185 million have been sold.
1979 - Susan B. Anthony, an activist for the cause of women's suffrage, was commemorated on a U.S. coin, the Susan B. Anthony dollar. The coin, roughly the size of a quarter, was confused by many with the quarter and the U.S. Treasury Department eventually stopped producing the Susan B. Anthony dollar.
1980 - A man from Falmouth ME was struck by lightning restoring his eyesight. The man had been blind and partially deaf since a truck accident in 1971
1981 - Murder by the “Manson Family” of Sharon Tate and three others in Laurel Canyon, Calif. They were all given death sentences, which was overturned at the time by the Supreme Court, which ruled “life in prison” without parole.
1982---Top Hits
“Ebony and Ivory” - Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder
“Don't You Want Me” - The Human League
“Rosanna” - Toto
“Slow Hand” - Conway Twitty
1984 - The Motion Picture Association of America established the "PG-13" rating.
1985 - Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers got hit #1,800 of his career, leading the ‘Brew Crew' past the Boston Red Sox 5-1.
1985 - “Nick at Night”, the creation of the kids network Nickelodeon, premiered on TV. Owned and operated by MTV Networks, Nick at Nite presents many of the old classic television series, including “Barney Miller.”
1987 - The Grateful Dead's "In the Dark" LP is released.
1987 - Fleetwood Mac's "Tango" LP is certified platinum while Van Halen's "1984" and ZZ Top's "Eliminator" reach sales of 6 million. .1987 – The radio station WFAN in New York City is launched as the world's first all-sports radio station. Preciously it was WNBC, primarily a news station.
1988 - Twenty-six cities in the north central and northeastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date. Lows of 48 degrees at Providence RI, 48 degrees at Roanoke VA, 49 degrees at Stratford CT, and 48 degrees at Wilmington, DE, were records for the month of July. Boston MA equaled their record for July with a low of 50 degrees. Five inches of snow whitened Mount Washington NH.
1989 - Showers and thunderstorms associated with the low pressure system which was once Tropical Storm Allison continued to drench parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and eastern Texas. Late night thunderstorms produced 12.58 inches of rain at Biloxi, MS, in six hours, and 10.73 inches at Gulfport MS. Flooding in Mississippi over the first six days of the month caused 55 million dollars damage. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1990---Top Hits
“Step By Step” - New Kids on the Block
“Do You Remember?” - Phil Collins
“I'll Be Your Shelter” - Taylor Dayne
“Love Without End, Amen” - George Stra
1991 - “Court TV” premiered. The continuing evolution of entertainment brought on by the advent of cable television added another twist with the debut of Court TV. Trials are broadcast in their entirety, with occasional commentary from the channel's anchor desk and switching among several trials in progress. Trials with immense popular interest such as the William Kennedy Smith rape trial, the sentencing hearing of Marlon Brando's son, and the Jeffrey Dahmer and O. J. Simpson trials, are broadcast along with more low-profile cases.
1998 - Singer/actress/movie star Barbara Streisand and actor/director James Brolin were married at her Malibu, California home. It was her second marriage (she was previously married to actor Elliot Gould) and his third (he was married to casting agent Jane Agee and actress Jan Smithers). The couple honeymooned on a boat in the nearby Channel Islands off the Santa Barbara coast.
2000- On the country's 133rd birthday, a Canada Day pitching matchup features a pair of Canadian starters in Montreal as Florida Marlin Ryan Dempster, a native of British Columbia, defeats Mike Johnson of Edmonton and the Expos, 6-5.
2000 - Vermont's civil union’s law went into effect, granting gay couples most of the rights, benefits and responsibilities of marriage.
2009 - Michael Jackson's untimely death a week earlier sends all his albums back into the Billboard Top Ten, including, at #5, The Jackson 5's Ultimate Collection.
2011 - In Minnesota, a three-week state government shutdown began after legislators could not agree on a budget.

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